Final Week: Volcanoes!

We have been building, painting, and exploding volcanoes this week!  We ended up with 1 dormant volcano today that required a few tries before we got it to erupt.  Have a wonderful summer 2nd graders!

constructing and painting

sealing with Mod Podge

exploding

Balloon 7: Bumper Seats for Everyone!

Bumper seats is one of our choices from the "Best 'Bee'havior" Book once a bee punch card is filled up.  For this choice, a student can pick his or her own spot for the day.  Our final balloon was bumper seats for everyone!  All students had the chance to move their desks to wherever they wanted in the classroom!

Mystery Readers #9

The class was very stumped with the following clues today: "I have brown hair and wear glasses.  I have lived outside of Lanesboro.  I have a brother and a sister."  They were even more stumped when Mrs. Peterson called from the office to say our Mystery Readers were here.  We've never had more than 1!  When the girls walked in, the class was still confused... nobody seemed to know them... who were they?!  Mrs. Stocker then raised her hand and claimed these great girls as her daughters: Abby and Samantha!  They read a "Little House" book from their childhood.  Thanks so much for stopping by 2nd grade!

Balloon 6: Daily 5 Outside

Today was a beautiful day for Daily 5 outside!  It's so calm and peaceful to read and write around the ponds.  We took this time to finish our classmate interviews and biography sentences.

Balloon 5: Buddy Reading with our Kindergarten Friends

Today we originally popped the balloon "Daily 5 Outside," but when we looked outside at the rain that did not appear to be letting up anytime too soon, we knew we'd have to swap it for another day.  We then popped "Read with the kindergarten and share a treat."  It was so fun to meet up with a younger buddy to share books and ice cream!

Piggie Pie!

On Friday we performed a play from the wonderful book Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini.  We had a blast over the last few months practicing this play and making it come alive.  Thanks to all the family members that were able to attend!

Mystery Reader # 8

This grandma likes to bake chocolate chip cookies, drives a white convertible, and lives next to the eagles!  She not only shared one of our new favorite books "Peanut Butter and Cupcake," but she also connected the wonderful message of friendship and kindness to the students' lives.  This grandma thought of everything as she brought in cupcakes and peanut butter crackers!  This was one fun visit, and it was wonderful to meet this grandma!

Bike Rodeo

On Friday the students had the opportunity to bring in their bikes to get checked over before summer begins.  They also ride through an obstacle course to practice their riding skills!  It's a great kick off to our busy Track and Field Day!

Balloon 4: Treasure Hunt

Today's balloon was a treasure hunt that took us around the school to find our treasure.  The best treasure ever is a good book!  Our treasure hunt was the book "Mustache Baby Meets His Match." We heard "Mustache Baby" when a mystery reader shared it with us.  It is such a fun book and we're so excited to add it to our classroom library.

Balloon 3: Gum Day!

Today we popped balloon 3 for gum day!  Little baggies were ready with 4 pieces of gum for each student.  The students could chew 2 pieces before lunch and 2 pieces after lunch.  They had the choice of when!  This balloon is always a favorite!

Balloon 2: Lunch in the Classroom!

It's always fun to eat lunch in the classroom and have a mini-dance party!

Ambulance Presentation and Ag Day

Yesterday was an exciting day as we were able to learn more about the how the ambulance and the EMS crew help us.  The students toured the ambulance and participated in demonstrations using their equipment.  Thank you to the EMS crew for your great presentation!  We also toured Ag day visiting with students about their tractors and animals.  Thank you students for sharing with us!

Balloon 1: Write a Letter to a Senior!

Yesterday we started our end of the year balloon countdown.  Mrs. Stocker helped us pop balloon number 1.  What we found inside was to write and deliver a letter to a senior.  We wrote our letters yesterday and delivered them today.  The Seniors looked so happy to receive our letters!

2nd Grade Field Trip

Today we headed out to Winona for the 2nd grade field trip.  We started at the Winona Historical Museum to learn more about history and the Native Americans.  We had a wonderful tour through the museum.  We then ate lunch and played at Lake Park.  Our afternoon was spent at Lake Lodge where we had the opportunity to get out on the lake and do Paddle for Life.  Paddling together in liberty boats required teamwork and good communication.  We had a fantastic day!  Thank you to all the parent volunteers that joined us!

Poetry Booklets

During the month of April we wrote a variety of poems and published them.  The four poems we published were: acrostic, portrait poem, haiku, and two words on a line poem.  After writing a few of each kind, the students picked out their favorites to type and add artwork as part of the publishing process.  Their finished booklets turned out great!  The final page included an "About the Author" page.

A Visit from Mrs. Lieb

We want to give Mrs. Lieb a big thank you for visiting 2nd grade to share Native American artifacts that her family has found and collected over the years from her family's land.  She had a huge variety of arrowheads and tools that she shared with us and so much information that she had researched.  It was so interesting to learn more about the Native Americans and their history.

 

Mystery Reader #7

"I've been in this class before.  I love sports.  I have 8 people in my family."  This is the second time the clue of "being in this class before" has come up, and the students always take it to mean someone who has walked through.  Narrowing it down to past students may tip them off, especially when that past student comes from a family of 8!  As a first and second grader, Luke always told me he couldn't wait to be able to come back someday and be a Mystery Reader! He shared a favorite: "Mustache Baby."  Nice to have you back in 2nd grade Luke!

Mystery Reader # 6

When this student heard the clues included " I love riding horse and shopping, and my favorite author is Nicholas Sparks," she felt pretty sure it was either her mom, her aunt, or her sister.  Well, it was her mom!  What a great guess!  This mom shared a Mother's Day story with us!